The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has issued stringent rules for distributors (app developers and app stores) of mobile apps with the intent to combat issues such as violence, terrorism, pornography and money fraud. The regulation which sets out three major rules will come into effect later this summer on August 1.
There are six criteria that the app providers must meet when operating in China:
- Users' identities must be verified by requiring mobile phone numbers or other information.
- They should protect users' information and cannot use the information without the users' consent.
- The providers should improve their censorship and punish anyone releasing illicit information through warnings, suspension of service, or shutting down accounts.
- App providers must tell users of their rights and are forbidden from collecting users' location information and reading their contacts stealthily.
- Providers are banned from pirating rivals' products.
- Providers are asked to record user logs and keep the information for at least 60 days.
The CAC says “the regulation was enacted after field research and soliciting public opinions… and is aimed at regulating app services and promoting the industry's healthy development.” It continued on to say “some apps have been used for spreading violence, terrorism, pornography, and rumours, while some apps are violating users' privacy and cheating money from them.” While spreading rumours might not seem like such a huge issue, in China it is a jailable offense..
The rules are designed so that app stores are also given responsibilities when it comes to monitoring apps. According to the regulation, app stores should check the legitimacy of developers and urge them to protect user information and respect IP rights.
The number of people using the mobile internet in China was estimated at around 619 million at the end of 2015, which represents 90% of all those with internet access in the country. China-based app stores now host four million applications and the number is quickly growing.
Source: CRI English
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